World Snooker Championship: Ronnie O'Sullivan Versus Jackson Page in Opening Round

World Snooker Championship: Ronnie O'Sullivan Versus Jackson Page in Opening Round

The tournament kicks off this Saturday at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, and will be broadcast live on the BBC.

Ronnie O'Sullivan is set to face Jackson Page in the opening round of the World Championship as he seeks an unprecedented eighth title in the modern era.

At 48, O'Sullivan is also vying to become the fourth player ever to win all three Triple Crown events in a single season. Defending champion Luca Brecel will compete against David Gilbert, while 2019 champion Judd Trump will take on Hossein Vafaei.

The tournament kicks off this Saturday at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, and will be broadcast live on the BBC. Four-time champion Mark Selby will go up against Joe O'Connor, the sole newcomer to the tournament following his qualification.

Four-time winner John Higgins faces Jamie Jones, who ousted 2010 champion Neil Robertson in the final qualifying round. Mark Williams, a three-time champion whose latest win was in 2018, comes into the tournament fresh off his Tour Championship victory, but he faces a challenging first match against Si Jiahui, a semi-finalist from the previous year.

Mark Allen, with three tournament victories this season, will start against Robbie Williams. The 2005 champion Shaun Murphy is paired with Lyu Haotian, and fans can also look forward to an exciting match between Ding Junhui and Jack Lisowski.

Gary Wilson, who has recently triumphed at the Scottish and Welsh Opens, will face former champion Stuart Bingham. Kyren Wilson hopes to stave off an upset against 52-year-old Dominic Dale, making his first appearance since 2014 and the oldest qualifier since Steve Davis in 2010.

First Round Draw
Luca BrecelvsDavid Gilbert
Robert MilkinsvsPang Junxu
Ali CartervsStephen Maguire
Shaun MurphyvsLyu Haotian
Mark SelbyvsJoe O'Connor
Kyren WilsonvsDominic Dale
John HigginsvsJamie Jones
Mark AllenvsRobbie Williams
Judd TrumpvsHossein Vafaei
Tom FordvsRicky Walden
Zhang AndavsJak Jones
Mark WilliamsvsSi Jiahui
Ding JunhuivsJack Lisowski
Gary WilsonvsStuart Bingham
Barry HawkinsvsRyan Day
Ronnie O'SullivanvsJackson Page

Many  of the best UK betting sites are already showing their cards with regards to who they think will be the outright winner of the tournament. Here are the top 10 players in the betting markets, according to bet365:

PlayerOdds
Ronnie O'Sullivan9/4
Judd Trump4
Mark Selby7
Mark Allen11
Mark Williams12
Luca Brecel16
Shaun Murphy22
Allister Carter25
Kyren Wilson25
Ding Junhui20
John Higgins20
bet365 Get £50 in Bet Credits
bet365 brand poster